Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) was created to help people with borderline personality disorder deal with crises, overwhelming emotions, and relationship difficulties.
However, the skills are so useful that anyone can benefit from them. It’s highly recommended for spouses of people with coping issues.
For maximum benefit, attendees should also be in individual therapy as the virtual DBT group does not provide one on one help.
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ~Einstein
What Does DBT Teach?
Mindfulness
Mindfulness teaches you how to be present. Many people escape their bodies, so they don’t know how they feel. They can’t feel overwhelming emotions approaching until it’s too late to do anything about them. They have a hard time regulating emotions. It can feel like they move from crisis to crisis and never get a chance to really grow.
When you are present, you have a moment to pause to feel your feelings without escaping. It can give you time to act instead of react. It can bring a lot more life and pleasure into your existence. It can create a foundation for self-acceptance, relationship building, and spiritual connection. Mindfulness is what creates the difference between a life that you endure and one that you fully experience.
Distress Tolerance (Crisis)
There are three types of events in life: crisis, problems, and incidents. Crises are when you are in a state of overwhelm. It’s when you don’t have the skills or resources to deal with a situation. A problem is when you have access to the skills and resources that you need to address a situation, but it may take some juggling to access them or figure out how to apply them effectively. Incidents are situations that come up that require your time and attention, but you have the skills and resources to deal with them without giving it too much of your attention. Distress Tolerance Skills are for dealing with crises.
Emotional Regulation
The emotional regulation skills of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy are about dealing with problems. Sometimes you are not in crisis, but you are still bothered, anxious or depressed. If left unchecked, it could lead to crisis, so you want skills to help you handle tough emotions too. That’s what this segment is about. They can help you to avoid emotional extremes and feel peaceful and calm more often.
Interpersonal Effectiveness
Interpersonal effective skills are effective ways of relating so that you can get your needs met while maintaining positive relations with others. Whether you need to learn healthier boundaries, how to speak up for yourself, how to avoid overwhelming others, or how to deal with difficult people, these skills can help you have happier, healthier relationships. We’re social creatures. People need people. Life is more satisfying when we learn to get along with each other. The dialectical behavioral therapy interpersonal effectiveness skills can help with that.
Get In Touch
Call
804.307.9369
Address
virtually
Group Meeting Times
Mondays 6:00 -7:30 p.m. OR
Thursdays 11:00- 12:30 p.m.